Assault operation in South-East of Ukraine to lead to catastrophe — Foreign Ministry

May 01, 2014, 17:27 UTC+3MOSCOW“Punitive measures against their own people would indicate the inability of the Kiev leadership to fulfill its obligations assumed under the Geneva Statement,” the ministry noted

MOSCOW, May 01. /ITAR-TASS/. Kiev’s plans to carry out a special assault operation in the South-East of Ukraine will lead to a catastrophe, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, May 1.

“Moscow is seriously worried by media reports about the Kiev regime’s plans to carry out a special assault operation in the south-eastern regions of the country using ultra-nationalist Right Sector units,” the ministry said.

“Such irresponsible and aggressive actions by the present ‘Ukrainian government’ can have catastrophic consequences if implemented,” the ministry warned. “Punitive measures against their own people would indicate the inability of the Kiev leadership to fulfill its obligations assumed under the Geneva Statement of April 17 to stop all violence as soon as possible and launch a broad national dialogue with all regions and political forces.”

The ministry urged “Kiev and the conniving United States and the European Union which signed the Geneva agreement not to make criminal mistakes and to soberly assess the gravity of possible consequences for the use of force against the Ukrainian people”.

'Kiev’s intention to hold a nationwide poll May 25 a sham'

Kiev’s intention to hold a nationwide poll on May 25 is a sham, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

“We have noted statements by ‘acting prime minister of Ukraine’ Arseniy Yatsenyuk who said that on May 25, 2014 there should be a certain nationwide poll that will be related, in particular, to the ‘decentralization of power,’” the commentary says. “He also said that the Ukrainian Cabinet had approved ‘its vision of the regional reform’. It is separately stated that the country’s government ‘is ready to give additional guarantees on the corresponding territory to Russian-speaking population and other national minorities’. However, what kind of ‘additional guarantees’ is meant, was not specified.”

“Instead of launching an extensive nationwide discussion in the country to seek for ways out of the deep political and socio-economic crisis that would involve all political forces and all regions, the Kiev authorities are engaged in staging sham actions,” the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed. “This will lead nowhere except to a further aggravation of the crisis in the country,” the ministry noted.